"A great old school RPG with an excellent story."

At this point in time, I'm sure most people will be starved for a portable RPG, especially on the PSP. This does not necessarily mean I'm giving it a high score simply because it's in a class of it's own, but it definitely satisfied my need for an RPG. There are slight flaws in gameplay, but they are present in every game. It is clear the game was rushed due to some hilarious translations, but it is not so large as to detract from the rest of the game.

Graphics: 9/10
While not the most important thing, graphics do make a large difference, and this is even more important because one the PSP's best features is it's graphics. Environments in Legend of Heroes are very well done, with a full 3D environment, and cities that actually look like you would think them to.

Character models are well done, and the 2D representations of them are very well drawn. Attack sequences are decent, featuring some excellent magic animations later in the game, however some special attacks (Avin and Martie's) look exactly the same, which shows the developers got a bit lazy. Monster sprites are also drawn very well, and although some models are used again this is quite common in many RPG games, and it wasn't done so many times as to render them redundant. It's not like in Golden Sun where you fight at least a dozen kinds of spiders, all with the same model but different colours, resulting in some strange combinations like bright neon green spiders with purple legs.

Sound: 10/10
A very important feature in RPG's, as it contributes to the "feel" of the game, the sound in this game is extremely well done. Effects and menu navigation sounds are pretty standard, but the in-game music is excellent, leading away from the beep like music of the last portable generation.

Control: 7/10
Not such an important feature in TBS RPG's, but it was included here mainly because people have problems with some aspects of the controls. Basically, whenever you hit a surface you "slide" off in another direction, so trying to line yourself against a flat surface like a counter in the weapons store and so on, can be like playing a game of air hockey. The emphasis here is on "slightly" however, as it doesn't make what I would call a large difference, but I'm sure some people would think otherwise.

Gameplay: 9/10
In RPG's and games with RPG elements, the story is the main guts of this score, with another large chunk coming from the battle system and the final piece being composed of little things, like item selection, mini games, lack (or abundance) of glitches, and so on. The story sounds like a bread and butter story at first, involving an orphan (yawn) on a quest to find his long lost sister. Add 30 mins of intense story building at the beginning of the game and I was starting to have doubts.

However, the story picks up quite quickly, and there are some twists that even I didn't see coming, and I have played A LOT of RPG's. To sum it in a few sentences two groups, one representing evil, on representing good, engage in a struggle for power that our hero is obviously caught in. You have the stereotypical bad guy turned good, the calm cleric, the old sage, etc. However plot development is excellent except for one thing. There are horrible, horrible translations. Now, I'm all for releasing a game to North America quickly, but couldn't the developers spent at least a bit more time? The line between this game and the infamous Zero Wing is blurred, due to things like this:

Gawain: I don't tell you to forget the pain, but you shouldn't hurt
more than you should.
Mile: It's not like him to walk out of a girl who is still on the journey.

*sighs* While these due lead to hilarity and laughter they turn what should have been serious sequences in the story, into comical ones. As the story matures, it does become quite good, and I got engrossed in it myself. The ending in particular was very well done, so this game scores big points in this section.

Rent or Buy? If you are looking for a Final Fantasy style RPG, then you will be disappointed. As I said before, this game relates to old school RPG's. If you are an RPG fan however, you should rent it anyways. It's worth a good try, and if you do happen to like old school RPG's, go ahead and buy it. It more than satisfied my craving for a good game with a great story.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/01/05